


Love For Auction

by crgb1234



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Instant Attraction, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crgb1234/pseuds/crgb1234
Summary: Baekhyun was asked to MC a city-wide charity event to benefit the Children's Hospital. The main event was an auction of eligible bachelors to spend an evening of entertainment together with each winning bidder.The DJ knew who most of the bachelors were, and he was very professional as the MC for the charity event, but when he saw the pink-haired man walking on the stage he lost his composure.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Auction Day

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as a Twtfic.  
> It is cross posted on AFF as well.

Baekhyun straightened his leather jacket and re-adjusted the microphone headpiece. The crowd just beyond the curtain was buzzing with excitement and he knew the minute he stepped out to the podium everything he said would be scrutinized.

Baekhyun scoffed. He was just as good looking as the men that were milling about in the wings just off stage. But he hadn't been asked to be one of the bachelors for auction. Just the MC.

Being an experienced radio announcer meant he had a voice smooth as silk and great timing in his delivery as he read cue cards. But he didn't have an extremely high salary so he wasn't considered one of the desired bachelor's of the city. Eligible bachelor yes. Rich no. 

He squared his shoulders. It didn't matter. He still looked damn good.

He had chosen his whole appearance carefully for the event. The black and white block-style leather jacket had cost him two months salary but it was worth it for the visual impact and how it showed off his broad shoulders while still accenting his slender waist. His favorite slim-cut black dress pants that hugged his ass perfectly, and a trendy t-shirt completed the stylish outfit.

However, his hair and makeup really set off his whole look. Baekhyun had arranged his signature platinum blonde hair in a slightly messy shag, and minimal yet distinct eye makeup accented his natural good looks perfectly. The looks he got earlier from the people he passed as he came in the side door of the venue were enough to convince the DJ he had made the right choices. 

And yet, a half-hour later he was clutching the cue cards a little too tightly and cursing at himself for ever agreeing to MC for the damn event.

OK so the proceeds would go to charity, yes. The Children's Hospital was the main beneficiary of the money that would be raised, and there were a few other associations that would be receiving money from the event as well. 

But the whole atmosphere smacked of a deranged, somewhat horny cattle auction. As soon as Baekhyun walked out onto the stage the murmurs in the audience swelled and there were a few whoops. By the time he got to the podium on the side, the audience was louder with a smattering of applause and even a couple of catcalls and a wolf whistle. Refusing to show any humiliation from the attention, Baekhyun clutched his cuecards harder and pasted on a half-convincing flirty smile. He cleared his throat and adjusted his microphone, then began the evening, using his best DJ-host voice, the smooth undertones temporarily calming the rowdy crowd.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen..! I am Byun Baekhyun of 148.5FM EXORadio and I am privileged to be your host for this evening." The stylish blonde internally patted himself on the back for not rolling his eyes as several ladies in the audience swooned at his smooth tone. If they only knew he didn't play for that side of the field.

The general public didn't feel it wasn't a bad thing to be gay, but Baekhyun hadn't had a lot of success in love over the past few years, so when he had chosen to not display any romantic preferences, his listening audience could only make assumptions about his sexuality. His deliberate ambiguity made his smooth tones take on multiple meanings which kept his listeners loyally tuning into his radio show for two hours every Monday thru Thursday night. So with this event being on a Friday and the promised pay of $5,000 he had agreed. 

"We all know why we're here." The audience gave a murmur of agreement as Baekhyun swept the room with a stern reprimanding look. "For CHARITY and to benefit the Children's Hospital.." A few of the more excited audience members actually gave sheepish grins and the blonde MC gave a quick huff of exasperation before schooling his face back into a casual smile. "Let's get started, shall we?"

The curtains were pulled apart enough to give the effect of the beginning area of a catwalk and the first well-dressed bachelor began to strut onto the stage. Baekhyun kept himself from getting caught rolling his eyes as he looked down to his cuecards and began to read. "Our first bachelor up for auction is a gentleman well-known to most of us. Children's Hospital's own head of the Cardiology Department, Kim Junmyeon!" The audience clapped enthusiastically. "Dr. Kim says he is looking forward to a nice evening with the winning bidder while enjoying a good dinner and nice conversation. And don't worry if he makes your heart flutter, since you'll be with a cardiologist..." Baekhyun paused for the laughter from the audience before continuing. "Please note that all bids are opened at $1,000..Do I hear $2,000? Yes ma'am I see your hand waving -- does that mean $5,000? It does? OK folks we have a bid of $5,000, do I hear $6,000? Yes, sir with the purple tie, thank you! Do I hear $7,000?.." 

The bids continued going up, until ultimately the cardiologist was won with a bid of $18,000. "SOLD! To the lovely Mrs. Choi, who we also know as our beloved mayor's wife. Thank you so much madam!" The audience gave a nice round of applause as the woman stood up smiling and waving at everyone around her while the cardiologist smiled back and bowed before making his way off the stage. 

Baekhyun smiled his first genuine smile of the evening. That wasn't so bad. Maybe the next bachelor sale would go just as smoothly. He looked up from his cuecards and immediately changed his mind as his eyes landed on tanned skin and a sharp jawline. He sighed again as he started reading aloud the next card in his hand.

"The next bachelor up for auction is no stranger to any of us. You can recognize Kim Jongin from his picture on the latest cover of W magazine as well as countless billboards across the city." Baekhyun waited for the sounds to die down of the women and men swooning over the model giving his signature smirk. "He has graciously agreed to participate in this event and the charity beneficiaries are extremely grateful. Shall we start the bidding a little higher..say $5,000?" Several hands immediately shot up and the bidding was soon underway with bids going higher and higher. Finally the tanned model was sold for $35,000 to an anonymous bidder on the phone. This created a few disgruntled individuals in the audience, but they easily turned their attention back to the stage and waited as Baekhyun smoothly transitioned to introducing the next bachelor up for auction.

A chef, a judge, a dentist, and the oldest son of the Chief of Police all were auctioned off in short order with high bids and smiles all around. By this time the audience had settled into an easy camaraderie, laughing with delight as each participant was given their chance to parade the makeshift catwalk and gather as much money from the bidders as possible for the sake of the charities. 

Baekhyun handled the situation with ease, relying on the cuecards but also ad-libbing where needed to bring more light-hearted humor to the event. He enjoyed watching the bachelors as well, secretly admiring and comparing them in his mind as he continued his MC duties. There were a couple that he would have to admit even turned his head, setting his thoughts alight. 

At this point there was just a lawyer and then a police detective left to be auctioned off. Baekhyun looked down at his cards and then back up again as long legs came into his peripheral vision. As his eyes followed the tall body upward, the DJ/MC began his usual intro. "OK the next bachelor up for auction is- hotDAMN- " He Interrupted himself, losing his composure as he took in the view of the next participant. "Um..." A muscular torso wrapped in a sharp tuxedo along with a bright smile met his eyes. Baekhyun spoke without thinking. "SORRY FOLKS. There's been a mistake & this gentleman isn't available.." The pink hair on the head of the bachelor bounced as the handsome face turned quickly towards the blonde MC. Their eyes met and Baekhyun's brain-to-mouth filter failed epically. "He's mine!"

The murmurs in the audience grew to a small roar as the two men looked at each other. The taller walked over to the podium and put his hand over Baekhyun's mic, startling the MC momentarily. The pink-haired man leaned closer and grinned. "How much are you paying for me?" Baekhyun blinked. "They're paying me $5,000 for tonight." The taller grinned wider. "I'll match that." He kept his hand over the mic as he turned away from the stunned blonde and raised his other hand to quiet the audience. "I've been sold for $10,000 folks!"

The tall man's pink hairs bounced again as he turned back to the DJ and grabbed the smaller's hand while still covering the DJ's mic with his other hand. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at 5pm, how does that sound?" 

Baekhyun blinked. "Um..."


	2. The Next Day

Baekhyun looked himself over in the mirror. 

He had agonized over his outfit, going back and forth between preppy casual and almost formal. In the end a combination of the two had won out, and so he settled on dark khaki slacks with an Oxford shirt, the sleeves slightly rolled up and the top two buttons opened to show just enough skin without being scandalous. His brown loafers were sitting to the side, waiting to be worn, and his watchband shone in a similar shade of rich brown leather. A set of small diamond studs in his ears added the slightest bit of bling to the ensemble. His hair was coiffed beautifully, with his bangs styled up off his forehead. 

"This will have to do." he said out loud to his reflection as he shifted the watchband with his other hand. A quick glance at the watch face told him he had about 7 minutes to finish freaking out until his date was supposed to arrive at 5 o'clock. He scurried to the bathroom and grabbed his trusty charcoal colored eyeliner pencil from his makeup drawer. Looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and after taking a deep breath to calm himself, he drew subtle lines to accentuate his soft eyes. He then ran back to the bedroom, put his wallet in his back pocket, and grabbed his shoes before heading to the living room.

Right then the doorbell rang. Baekhyun jumped in surprise, but squared his shoulders and took another deep breath. Not wasting any time and taking his shoes with him, he marched promptly up to the front door. He put the shoes down next to the entryway and then closed his eyes briefly before opening them wide and smiling lightly as he opened the door. But his deliberately positive look quickly turned to a half-frown.

Standing before him was his elderly neighbor, Mrs. Lee. She had a colorful bouquet of mini blue iris and small yellow sunflowers in her hand, and an inquisitive smile on her face. 

Baekhyun blinked in surprise. "Um... Hello, Mrs. Lee." 

"Hello Baekhyunnie dear. These are supposed to be for you. The young man that brought them is arguing with the doorman downstairs because they won't let him into the building." she said, handing the stunned man the flowers.

"Oh!" Baekhyun took the bouquet. "But I told them-" Baekhyun began murmuring his explanation as he inspected the pretty arrangement but was interrupted.

"You told the doorman last night, right?" Mrs. Lee said, smiling with understanding. "Evidently he didn't pass the word or something, because there is a somewhat frustrated, very tall and handsome young man downstairs that begged me to bring these to you and explain why he couldn't be standing at your door right now."

"Oh my..!" Baekhyun tried to hold back the flush that had crept onto his cheeks as he listened to his neighbor. "I guess I'd better-"

"You'd better get down there and claim your man before someone else snatches him!" 

By now there was a full-blown blush on his face as Baekhyun reacted to the older woman's good-natured teasing. He shoved the flowers back at her to hold and then bent down to slip on his shoes. Mrs. Lee giggled as she lifted the bouquet to her face to smell the beautiful arrangement. Baekhyun stood back up and took the flowers back. 

"Ok.. How do I look?" he asked with a smile. 

"Perfect," the older woman smiled back. "Even better than the flowers."

Baekhyun looked down briefly at the bouquet in his hand before looking back up and squaring his shoulders again. "Thank you. Well, here goes nothing..!" He grabbed his keys from the hanger inside the entryway and then closed the door behind him.

"Go get him Sweetie!"

Baekhyun partially raised the arrangement in an acknowledgement of the lady's encouragement, but didn't look back at he made his way to the elevator and pushed the down button. The carriage arrived almost immediately and he stepped in, selecting the lobby floor and then stepping back to lean against the wide handrails. The ride down was just long enough to let the nerves start to set in a little, but a sniff of the lovely little bouquet had the calming effect needed to squash down any all out panicking. It had been a few years since he had been head-over-heels about anybody, and even with the good looks and enticing charm of the man he knew to be waiting for him downstairs, Baekhyun was still uncertain of any potential romantic developments. It was best to just wait calmly and see. 

As the elevator doors opened Baekhyun stepped out and looked to the front of the building, pink hair catching his attention immediately and any chance of being calm was quickly disappearing. He had almost forgotten how tall the handsome man was, but the memories of the previous evening came rushing back as he observed the side profile of his date. His professionalism had been compromised when he had boldly "claimed" the taller man on the stage. But the pink-haired hottie hadn't left him hanging, quickly agreeing that he was "sold" and then smoothly asking the DJ out for the date. Only after Baekhyun had stammered and then nodded his agreement did the taller flash his beautiful smile and then saunter back off the stage. That same smile was being directed his way now.

Baekhyun matched the smile as he walked swiftly to the front door, a mischievous idea sparking in his mind as he reached out with the hand that wasn't holding the bouquet. The doorman caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and swiftly moved to open the front door for the smiling DJ.

"Oh THERE you are Darling!" Baekhyun boldly proclaimed, smiling broadly as he deliberately played it up in front of the stunned doorman. Baekhyun linked arms with the taller and started to pull him away from the building.

The pink-haired hottie played along with a twinkle in his eye, nodding towards the doorman. "No Sweetheart it's not your fault I couldn't come up and get you!" The doorman spluttered a protest as the couple continued walking away. As soon as they were out of earshot the smaller burst into uncontrollable giggles and the tall pink-haired man stood watching him with an impish grin and affectionate look in his eyes. 

"That was fun!" the DJ proclaimed when he caught his breath.

The taller agreed, still grinning widely. "Serves him right! I told him I was here for you and as soon as he saw the flowers he acted all jealous and refused to call you to let you know I was here." 

Baekhyun giggled. "I think he's been harboring a crush ever since I moved in last year, but I couldn't get it thru his thick skull that he's not my type." 

"Yeah, he doesn't have pink hair." the taller giggled. 

"Or own a flower shop where he can create beautiful bouquets like this gorgeousness!"

"Oh so the flowers really DO work for you then.." the pink-haired man bent down slightly to smile directly at his date, causing the DJ to blush and duck his head down, bringing the bouquet up to his face as though he was smelling them once more.

After exchanging numbers the previous evening, once they each arrived home the two had texted back and forth for a while, getting better acquainted and discussing their plans for the next evening. It was during that conversation Baekhyun had found out he had a date with one of the most successful florists in the country.

Mr. Park Chanyeol owned his own chain of floral shops who's arrangements had been the choice of so many elite functions in the past 10 years it could make anyone's head spin to count them all. The florist had personally overseen the previous evening's table arrangements that the DJ had been swooning over. Call him old fashioned, but flowers really were the way to Baekhyun's heart. 

Well, flowers and "PIZZA TIME!" Baekhyun's exclamation had Chanyeol doubling over with laughter.

"Ok, Ok.. Let's go." The tall man straightened up and walked over to grab the front passenger door handle of a dark blue luxury sedan that had pulled up to the curb next to them. 

"Chanyeol! What are you doing?!" the smaller panicked for a second, but then noticed the driver had gotten out of the vehicle and walked around the front of the car to hold the door open for him. "Oh, this is.. Yours? Wow, curbside service -- ni~ice!" He watched as Chanyeol patted the driver on the shoulder and then walked around the car to the driver's side. 

The florist looked over the top of the car at the DJ who was still standing by the open car door. The taller smiled. "Shall we..?" 

Baekhyun smiled back. "Why not..."

Their shared laughter rang out again as they both climbed into the vehicle.

Baekhyun turned to see the driver had gently closed his door and then stepped back onto the sidewalk. "Does he have a ride?" he asked as he put on his seatbelt.

"His mother lives in your building so he will visit with her for a bit before taking the bus back to his home. It's not a problem." Chanyeol sad, fastening his seatbelt and then checking traffic before easing out into the lane.

"His mother? What's her name? I might know her.." 

"Well, his last name is Lee.. So-"

The peals of Baekhyun's laughter could be heard through the closed windows of the luxury sedan as it picked up speed, heading towards their dinner destination.

A half hour later the two were seated in a secluded corner on the balcony of an upscale pizzeria. Chanyeol had used his connections to get the last minute reservation as soon as they had agreed upon the food during their texting the night before.

Of course the DJ had questions.

"So I was meaning to ask you.. you're a florist but when I read the cue cards last night the lineup said you were a lawyer..?"

"While I was working on getting the law degree I worked part-time at a floral shop. By the time I had tried my first case I was more interested in the corsages the mother's of victims wore than I was in the details of the cases. I practiced law for the next two years while studying botany and art design at night. When I left the practice & started my first floral shop all my lawyer friends were my first high-paying clientele and so the rest, as they say, is history!"

"Wow.. so you're not really a lawyer-"

"No, I've kept my license up. It's been handy since I don't have to hire someone to write legal business contracts and such."

"That's smart."

By this time the waitress had come to their table. Chanyeol suddenly spoke with the over-exaggerated tone he had used before with the doorman. "Darling, I know you're starving so go ahead and order for both of us..!"

The DJ noticed the twinkle in the florist's eyes and went along with the mood. "Oh you know me so well!"

The waitress flushed a little and fidgeted with her pencil as she wrote down when the DJ ordered. After she walked away Baekhyun looked at his date with a half-grin. "What was all that?"

"She had her eye on you from the moment we were seated. I was just discouraging her."

"Oh I see.. You were **just** discouraging her..?"

"Well, that. And I was staking my claim - I saw you first."

"Actually, I saw and claimed **you** first, Mr. Lawyer-not-lawyer."

"Well, yes. Yes you did."

The two couldn't help grinning broadly at each other over the table.


	3. The Rest of the Date

After a short time of casual conversation, the freshly-made pizza they had ordered arrived at their table, piping hot and smelling delicious. The waitress refilled their water glasses and made sure they had extra napkins, and then left the two gentlemen with the steaming food. 

Chanyeol chuckled as he handed the serving utensil to his date. "You're looking at that pizza like you're in love with it." He held up two plates and Baekhyun served two slices on each. The taller placed the plates down in front of each of them, still very humored about the shining eyes of the DJ. 

"I can't help it. I just love pizza!" Baekhyun grinned as he picked up one of his pieces, carefully holding it to keep the grease from dripping on the table. He brought the slice up to his mouth and gingerly bit a large chunk off the corner, sucking a little air into his mouth at the same time as he attempted to cool off the hot food. 

Chanyeol held one of his own pieces of pizza up, wrangling a stray string of cheese that didn't seem to want to let go from the other piece still on his plate. He leaned in and bit a large chunk off of the end of his piece and then placed it back down on his plate as he reached for a napkin. "So,.. " he breathed in a little as he chewed quickly, finishing the food in his mouth and swallowing before continuing. "I gave you my backstory. What's yours? How did you end up being a smooth talking DJ-slash-auctioneer?"

The pink-haired man grinned widely as Baekhyun reacted to the question with a guffaw. The blonde put down the little bit that was left of his first piece of pizza and wiped his hands on a napkin. "Well as glamorous as it sounds, I wasn't always a DJ-slash-auctioneer." the DJ said as he grinned and reached for his water glass. He took a quick drink. 

"Twelve years ago I was known as the loud-mouth high school kid that everybody knew but nobody dated. Since I never went out on dates, my junior year the guidance counselor decided I should put my loud mouth to good use and made me sign up for speech class and also be the play-caller for all the school basketball games. The playoff games were always broadcast by the local radio station and by the time the team made it all the way to the championship game at the end of the season, the things I had learned in speech class were paying off. The radio station offered me a summer internship because they said that I was a natural with delivery and technique. The internship turned into an actual job my senior year and I've never looked back." The blonde finished his brief story and smiled before taking another large bite of his pizza. 

"That's great! But I find it hard to believe no one wanted to date you in high school." the taller widened his eyes incredulously. The smaller took a moment to wipe his mouth with a napkin as the florist continued, "With your good looks and appealing personality there had to've been lots of girls hanging all over you!" 

The DJ blushed but tried to hide it with his napkin. "It wasn't the girls I wanted hanging on me." he muttered quickly as he took another large bite of pizza. 

"I- Well- Then the guys at your high school were blind or idiots. Or both!" 

Baekhyun found himself blushing again and he spluttered around his bite of pizza as he tried to brush off the obvious compliment. But his date was insistent. "You weren't the only one caught off guard at first sight last night -- you took my breath away, you know!" 

The DJ swallowed his food with a large gulp. "No, I didn't know..." 

"No, really! When I came thru the curtain and saw you, and then you spoke up, I knew immediately I had to make sure it was you that won me in the auction, just so I could get to know more about you." The taller colored prettily as he admitted his feelings, but he couldn't take his eyes off the smaller who had glanced up, equally flushed at hearing the bold words. 

Their intense eye contact was broken by the sound of a throat clearing next to their table.

The blonde flinched and the florist turned towards the waitress, who was standing by the table with a fresh pitcher of water. "Refill your water, sirs?"

Baekhyun made a decision as he watched their water glasses being filled. Taking the same overly sweet tone he had used before, he deliberately addressed his date in front of the waitress. "Sweetheart since you were so kind as to bring me flowers and also take care of our transportation, I'll pay for dinner. "

Chanyeol spluttered. "Wait no! You won me in the auction so I wanted to pay for everything." 

The waitress seemed uncomfortable with the conversation and moved quickly away from the table. The DJ noted her leaving but carried on with the topic. 

"Actually I paid for half of the auction bid, so that means I get to pay for half of this date. You bought me beautiful flowers and took care of transportation, so I'm paying for dinner, case closed." Baekhyun nodded with a smirk as he served them both another slice of pizza. 

The florist chuckled. "I know it's been a long while since I've tried a case in court, but I don't remember ever been beaten with that argument before."

The DJ grinned as he wiped his fingers then picked up his new slice of pizza. "Well, there's a first time for everything!" 

Chanyeol grinned back and picked up the slice from his own plate. "There certainly is!" 

They held eye contact for a second longer but then realized they were both just sitting there grinning with pizza in their hands. They shared a laugh and then began eating more of their food. 

The conversation flowed easily between the two men as the evening progressed. Before they knew it they had been sitting at the restaurant for over 3 hours. The sun had gone down and by the sounds drifting up to the balcony it was evident the city nightlife was in full swing. The DJ realized they were the last customers at the restaurant, so he signaled to the waitress for the check. 

The waitress came over to the table and Baekhyun pulled out his wallet to pay, handing the waitress cash as he gave his date a deliberately adoring look, complete with batting his eyelashes. But as soon as the waitress moved away from the table both men dissolved into giggles. 

Chanyeol held his side with one arm as he laughed and whacked the table with his other hand. "THAT was good! You are good at this 'overly exaggerated being smitten with me' stuff!" 

"It's not **that** exaggerated! The waitress looked like she would be twice as bad if **she** was given the chance!" Baekhyun laughed equally hard but his words made the taller slow down his laughter a bit.

"So...Are you telling me what you've been doing could be real?" 

"I-..um. .huh?" The DJ flushed as he stopped laughing. He scooted his chair back from the table to stand up. "Um.. It's getting late, so we should probably leave before they kick us out."

The florist chuckled but decided to humor his obviously embarrassed date and kept mum as he stood up.

By the time they made it to the restaurant entrance Chanyeol had used his long legs to his advantage, beating the smaller to the door and holding it open for him. Baekhyun decided to tease the taller. "I love how you are always SUCH a gentleman!" he said, his voice sugary sweet. 

Chanyeol coughed and blushed a little as they walked out of the restaurant.

The DJ turned back towards the florist with a smirk. "Don't worry, that was just for the benefit of the wait-staff lurking by the door." He turned back around and walked towards where the car was parked.

The florist bit back a grin and deliberately didn't mention there was no wait staff at the door as they were exiting. Getting into that discussion might make him miss out on the glorious view of the DJ's rear as he sashayed over to the car passenger door.

Definitely worth it.

Chanyeol made a mental note that if that's what pizza did for Baekhyun's body, he would happily buy it for him whenever the pizza-lover wanted from now on.

"You know... I'm starting to think agreeing to that auction was the best decision I've ever made."


End file.
